Dubai power plants to get LED lighting in $10m deal

A view of Jebel Ali power plant on the outskirts of Dubai, one of the sites that will be getting new LED lighting under a six-year energy performance contract

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has signed a AED 37 million ($10 million) six-year energy performance contract to slash the energy used to light its power plants.

As well as cutting its costs and carbon emissions, Dewa says it wants to lead the way for energy performance contracting in Dubai and the Middle East.

Local energy service company Etihad Esco will take responsibility for making the savings – including handling all maintenance, repairs and replacements – using LED lighting products provided by Philips.

Dewa’s gas turbine power stations at Jebel Ali and Al-Awir will get new lights, with a guaranteed 68 per cent electricity saving for six years, meaning the lights will pay for themselves in just three and a half years.

This, combined with efficiency measures at other buildings, will mean a reduction in CO2 emissions of 8,531 tonnes a year, the equivalent of taking 1,796 cars off the road each year.

Dubai wants to be seen as a world leader in the ‘green economy’, and has pledged to slash its energy consumption by 30 per cent by 2030, and its carbon emissions by five million tonnes.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, vice chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and CEO of Dewa, said: ‘The partnership with Etihad Esco will further drive public-private partnerships that support the vision of making Dubai a leading example of energy efficiency for the region and the world.’

Stephane le Gentil, CEO of Etihad Esco, said: ‘This comprehensive project helps Dewa to enhance its operational efficiency and lower the carbon footprint of its facilities. Etihad Esco is proud of its partnership with Dewa, as it will showcase how energy performance contracting can enable energy efficiency, a far more effective way of conserving energy resources than traditional energy conservation efforts that may be limited in savings.’